Sweets In New Orleans
by GuessingGame
Summary: The story of Eric Sweet and Audrey Miller, and how Eddie came to be. R and R please!


**My first House of Anubis fanfiction! I was going to set it in NYC, but I decided New Orleans since I've been there alot.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing obviously.**

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><p>Eric Sweet stepped off the street. It was June 1994 in New Orleans, and the heat and humidity were high. Eric took off his sweater, unaccustomed to this type of weather. In Liverpool, it never seemed to reach higher than 71 degrees. And he had never felt this humidity, it seemed as though he were underwater. It occurred to him it might not be as hot without all of this.<p>

He was forty years old, handsome for a middle-aged man. His dark hair was just beginning to become streaked with gray, and his brown eyes twinkled with excitement at this bright new city. It was his first time in New Orleans, or America for that matter. A large man behind him pulled the string that ran around the streetcar and it stopped.

"Excuse me, sir?" Eric asked awkwardly, looking at the large and frankly a little frightening African-American man.

"Yes?" he asked, with just a hint of a New Orleans accent.

"I was wondering if, perhaps, there was a way to get to the Hotel Monteleone from here?"

"Yeah man, just follow me." he said, smiling.

The man helped Eric carry his suitcase off the streetcar and they began to walk. He was surprised at the mans friendliness. He had simply been looking for directions but he had to admit that this was appreciated. He had no idea where anything was, he had not even booked the hotel. It was much different than England, where, while they weren't mean, they really weren't this forward.

"So, where are you from?" the man asked. Eric told him and while they talked they discovered that they both liked the Beatles. While the man was happy to give out information, Eric was a bit more cautious. He has just met the man, after all.

After they reached the hotel Eric and the man shook hands and he departed, leaving Eric to gawk at the beautiful hotel. It didn't stand by itself, but was connected to other buildings it seemed. A white awning with a coat of arms and the words _Hotel Monteleone_ protruded from the front. The architecture was beautiful and ornate and he found himself wondering how long it had taken to build. Eric stepped inside and discovered the lobby was just as beautiful. He approached the front desk and checked in with the kind redhead with a name card that read _Jackie_ . She quickly called somebody to help him to his room and with his luggage.

Soon Eric had reached his room. He unpacked everything and neatly put it in the dresser. Eric couldn't stand things being messy and he was glad that it seemed the housekeeping was up to par. His room was spotless.

Although he really wanted to rest in his bed, which he suspected was stuffed with feathers, he forced himself to go out into the daytime. It was the middle of the night at home. He thought he might go look in some of the stores in the French Quarter and, although shopping bored him most of the time, he thought it might be a new experience. He decided he would buy something before attending an international conference for science teachers, which was the subject he taught, that would be held tonight. Although he loved science, he aspired to replace the current headmaster after she had retired.

Eric stepped into a store selling many little New Orleans trinkets, miniature streetcars, alligators and the like. None of it particularly interested him at all. He suspected he could find the same items in every store on this street.

He browsed them for a moment or two, picking up an item now and then, the whole thing feeling a bit too touristy for his tastes. He found most of it to be rather tacky. Nothing he saw really piqued his interest

One thing that did interest him, however, were the masks. They lined up a whole wall, different shapes and colors and sizes.

He picked up a pale blue one with gold swirls. It was the kind you held up to your face, which he did and smiled into the mirror that was on the wall, feeling rather silly. He picked up another but didn't try it on. It was a full faced one with red pursed lips and gold detail around the eye-holes with a white ribbon to tie around your head. Yet another looked like a half moon. He picked up many different masks, but couldn't find one he liked enough to buy. He turned to leave, when one caught his eye.

It was made of a beautiful silky white cloth, and was outlined with pale gold pearls. It had long white and gold plumed feathers coming up from one side. The stick to hold it up had a long strand up pearls curling up the side of it. It covered half the face and had a little swan beaked nose. Eric picked it up. It was perfect.

"That's a nice one." he heard a woman say behind him. Eric turned around and instantly dropped the mask. A beautiful woman with long blonde curls and deep sapphire blue eyes was standing behind him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said, bending down to pick up the mask at the same time he did. Their skulls instantaneously cracked together and they both fell, the woman muttering profanities and Eric simply grunting.

They both dusted themselves off and Eric picked up the mask.

The woman stuck out her hand and said, "Hey,sorry about that. I'm Audrey."

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><p><strong>Review, please?<strong>


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